Most cyclists focus on getting stronger off the bike or building bigger aerobic engines. Both matter. But there's another performance variable that gets less attention: how efficiently your nervous system coordinates force production on the bike.

This is where torque training combined with high-cadence explosive work becomes interesting. Not as a replacement for traditional strength or endurance training, but as a targeted method for developing better motor control and biomechanical efficiency in your pedal stroke.

What Torque Training Actually Does

Torque-specific training means low-cadence, high-resistance pedaling. Think 40 to 70 rpm at moderate to high intensity. You're grinding a big gear, applying significant force through each pedal stroke, and doing it slowly enough that your nervous system has to carefully coordinate the movement.

The research here is solid but specific. Studies by Paton and Hopkins in 2009 and Nimmerichter in 2011 showed improvements in short-term power output metrics like 60-second mean power, peak power, and lactate threshold power. Athletes who incorporated torque intervals saw measurable gains in these areas.

But we need to be clear about what this training doesn't do. Torque work rarely exceeds 50 to 60 percent of your maximal dynamic force. That means it's not producing true strength gains the way a proper strength training program does. The long-term effects on endurance performance and movement economy remain inconsistent in the literature. This is not a substitute for squats and deadlifts.

What torque training does provide is something more specific: it forces your nervous system to coordinate high force production at slow speeds while sitting on a bike. This is fundamentally different from gym-based strength work.

The Tactical Application

In my coaching practice, I've noticed that some muscular, power-oriented riders actually perform better when they intentionally lower their cadence during long climbs or steady-state surges. By doing so, they can lean more on their muscular system and less on their cardiovascular system. Essentially tapping out high torque without blowing up their lungs.

It's a strategy I use sparingly and contextually, but paired with high-cadence sprint work, I've seen it help sprinters stay in the game on tough terrain. The ability to modulate cadence based on physiological demands becomes another tool in the tactical toolbox.

The Other End: High-Cadence Explosive Work

Now consider the opposite approach. Very high cadence work at 110 to 120 rpm, often at submaximal or sprint intensity. This trains rate of force development, neuromuscular speed, and motor unit recruitment timing.

Where torque work is slow and controlled, high-cadence work is fast and explosive. Different neural demand, different motor control challenge, different adaptation stimulus.

Why Combine Them?

The force-velocity spectrum concept from strength and conditioning provides the framework here. Every movement exists somewhere on a continuum between maximum force at slow speeds and minimum force at maximum speeds. Athletes who train across this spectrum tend to develop more complete neuromuscular capabilities.

Torque intervals target the force-dominant end of this spectrum. High-cadence intervals target the velocity-dominant end. When you combine them systematically, you're teaching your nervous system to coordinate force production across a wider functional range.

This mirrors contrast training principles used in strength programs. You might do a heavy squat set followed immediately by box jumps. The heavy lift primes the nervous system for force production, and the explosive movement teaches it to express that force rapidly. Different stimulus, complementary adaptation.

The cycling application is similar. Torque intervals develop your ability to apply significant force through the pedal stroke with precise coordination. High-cadence work develops your ability to recruit motor units quickly and coordinate rapid force application. Together, they may reinforce motor pathways that improve overall pedaling efficiency.

Learning From the Best

I first learned about torque to high-cadence transitional interval training in Colombia with one of Michele Bartoli's athletes. Michele later became a colleague of mine at EF, but he has always been one of the most influential trainers in the pro peloton, rumored to coach around 30 percent of the WorldTour peloton. He's won the biggest races as a coach: the Tour, the Giro, the Vuelta, the classics.

That day in Colombia, I was doing a torque transition session with one of his star riders. The set was 2 minutes at 50 rpm, 350 to 380 watts, followed by 1 minute at 100 rpm, 400 to 450 watts, repeated twice, then a 2-minute rest between sets.

I remember saying to myself on that rider's wheel, "I will die before I let go of this wheel. I do not care if I pass out. Worst case scenario, I fall off to the side of the road doing 30 kilometers per hour up this climb."

The next few days in training, I immediately felt the benefit. So I started incorporating it with the athletes I coached. It wasn't until a full year later that Michele became a colleague of mine.

The Motor Control Hypothesis

Here's where the theory gets interesting, even if the evidence base is still developing. Slower, controlled movements like torque training require higher levels of motor control and muscle stiffness regulation. You can't cheat the movement with momentum. Your nervous system has to carefully manage force application throughout the entire pedal stroke.

When you pair this with explosive high-cadence work, you're potentially reinforcing neural drive and coordination patterns across different movement speeds. The hypothesis is that this combination promotes more efficient pedaling biomechanics overall. Smoother stroke mechanics, reduced unnecessary muscle co-contraction, better coordination between opposing muscle groups.

The evidence level here is moderate at best. We have theoretical grounding and some promising indicators, but we don't have definitive long-term studies showing that this approach produces lasting improvements in cycling economy or race performance. What we do have is a mechanistically sound rationale and enough practical evidence to warrant inclusion in a well-designed training program.

Practical Application

If you're going to incorporate this approach, periodization matters. This isn't year-round work. It fits best during specific training phases when you're building strength and neuromuscular qualities.

A typical torque session might look like five intervals of six minutes each at 50 to 60 rpm. You're maintaining solid power output, but the key variable is the low cadence and high force requirement. Do this once or twice per week during the appropriate training phase.

Pair these sessions with high-cadence sprint or neuromuscular intervals in the same training week. Six to ten second efforts at 110 to 120 rpm, fully recovered between efforts. These aren't fitness intervals. They're neural training.

Additionally, you can incorporate specialty sessions like the one I shared in my story about Michele above. These transitional intervals combine both stimuli in a single workout: 2 minutes of torque work followed immediately by 1 minute of high-cadence work, then 2 to 3 minutes of rest between sets depending on which adaptations you're targeting. Do 4 sets of that in a workout. This format creates a unique neuromuscular demand by forcing your system to shift gears mid-effort, literally training the transition between force-dominant and velocity-dominant pedaling.

All of these methods integrate into a broader training plan that includes aerobic base development and proper off-bike strength work. Torque training doesn't replace lifting. High-cadence work doesn't replace threshold intervals or VO2max sessions. They supplement a complete program.

What This Isn't

This approach won't transform an average cyclist into a world champion. It won't replace the fundamental work of building aerobic capacity or developing muscular strength. It won't compensate for poor training structure or inadequate recovery.

What it may do is develop better motor coordination, improve biomechanical efficiency, and enhance your ability to apply force effectively across different cadence ranges. For masters athletes chasing marginal gains at high competitive levels, these improvements matter.

The Responsible Take

By combining torque-specific low-cadence intervals with high-cadence explosive efforts, athletes may reinforce both ends of the neuromuscular spectrum. This develops pedal-specific force production while sharpening coordination and motor control. The blend could enhance movement control and potentially improve biomechanical efficiency on the bike.

The research base is promising but incomplete. We need more long-term studies examining how these methods affect cycling economy and real-world performance outcomes. What we have now is enough mechanistic evidence and short-term data to justify thoughtful inclusion in periodized training programs.

For serious cyclists willing to experiment with training methods that go beyond traditional interval prescriptions, this dual approach offers a science-informed way to build smarter, more efficient pedal strokes. Just remember it's one piece of a complete program, not a replacement for the fundamental work that actually builds fitness.